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  • The Village

    The following was presented to me at a Spiritualist church. I trust the provider approves of it being passed on.

    There was once a village at the foot of a mountain. The village elder was growing old and knew his earth days were drawing to a close. He wanted to choose a successor from his four sons; Albert, Bill, Charles and Dan.

    He called them together and set them a task. They were to climb the mountain and report back to the elder what they had seen.

    Albert started from the South side, Bill from the West, Charles from the North and Dan from the East.

    Albert climbed so far and looked around. All he could see was sea, nothing but sea. He returned to tell his father.

    Bill climbed so far and looked around. All he could see was forest, nothing but forest. He returned to tell his father.

    Charles climbed so far and looked around. All he could see was snow and ice, nothing but snow and ice. He returned to tell his father.

    Dan climbed, and climbed, and climbed until he came to the top of the mountain. He looked around. To the East he could see nothing but desert, as far as the eye could see. To the South he could see nothing but sea,as far as the eye could see. To the West he could see nothing but forest, as far as the eye could see. And to the North he could see nothing but snow and ice, as far as the eye could see.

    Dan returned to tell his father. He was disappointed to find his three brothers already waiting. They had all completed their task faster than him and he was afraid his father would be angry. However, after they all told their stories Dan was made the new village elder.

    The moral of this story is to avoid being the victim of biased ideas. Be sure to see the whole picture before reaching a conclusion.

  • The problem of attachment

    Speaking at Harvard University in 1988 the Dalai Lama said “Attachment is the origin, the root of suffering; hence it is the cause of suffering.”

    Attachment is what happens when we reach a situation that feels (relatively) comfortable. Life is basically hard, so when we find ourselves in a state when that hardship seems minimal we naturally want that state to continue.

    The problem is that we’re not born into this world to find eternal comfort, we come here to learn. If we can find happiness along the way, that’s great. But if we try to hold onto it we are blocking our future progress.

    The nature of existence is change. If change ceased to happen there would be no point in existence. Until we are able to let go we are doomed to misery and stagnation.

    It may seem nice to hold on to what we have in the transience of the moment, but ultimately the gratifications of now are utterly meaningless aside from the lessons they may teach.

    In the words of Kris Kristofferson’s beautiful song, “Let’s just be glad we had some time to spend together.” Or as Tennyson put it, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

    As one door closes, another opens. Let’s enjoy the moment while it’s here. But when its time comes to pass let’s let it go gracefully, with gladness that we experienced it, and with an open heart and mind to receive the next stage of our adventure.

  • The mayonannaise jar and the wine glasses

    Not sure where this comes from but was given to me as I give to you…

    A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

    He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

    The professor then picked up a handful of small pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. Again they agreed it was.

    The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes”.

    The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

    “Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ” I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

    The golf balls are the important things in life. Your God, your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions: things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

    The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.

    The sand is everything else: the small stuff.

    “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

    Play with your children. Look after your health. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean house and fix the disposal.

    Take care  of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

    One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend.”

  • Dangerous emotion

    Human beings are endowed with the faculty of emotion. It is what makes us human. How we look down upon the person that seems to have no feeling.

    But emotion can also weaken us. It competes with both our intellect (or reason) and our intuition.

    Intellect stems from our logical capacity, it kicks in when we weigh up our options, rationally evaluating the pros and cons of each.

    Intuition comes directly from our Spiritual side. It’s (probably) our most valuable faculty as it bypasses artificial earthly concerns and reaches into the true essence of matters.

    Emotion tends to get in the way, because it is concerned with momentary gratification while ignoring our true purpose.

    The problem is that emotion and intuition both appear as feelings from within, so how can we distiguish the one from the other? Emotion is always geared to providing short-term comfort. As long as it’s OK today never mind tomorrow. Intuition may seem irrational, even contrary to logical thought. Intuition is concerned with the big picture, not the ultimately irrelevant detail.

    Emotion is a powerful thing that will seek to dominate all that you do. Don’t let it. Be aware when it starts to drive things and take back control.

  • What Will Be

    Remember the song “que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be?” Its lyrics, and sentment, have stuck in my mind since I first heard it in childhood.

    It would be a mistake to interpret the song as referring to a blind fate or random chance that governs our destiny. We all know without instinctively that we have free will. What it does mean is that we are subjected to fate like the winds affect the course of a sailing ship, even though a human agency is attempting to steer the ship.

    We should attempt to set a course, ie decide what’s improtant in life. We should then try to fulfill that course to the best of our ability. For if we don’t try we have little chance of success, and any success that happens to arise from pure luck is ultimately of little satisfaction.

    But once we’ve set our course, made our goals and plans, and done our best to realize them, then there is little point wasting energy worrying. Fate will ultimately decide the outcome. But fate is not blind. Though it may be difficult to impossible to understand at the time, there is always purpose in what happens.

    So try your best, and allow what will be to be.

  • Zen – Lessons for Life

    Recently I was out on a dark, windy, rainy day, feeling pretty down and noticing the misery on the faces of those around. I happened to see a cat crossing the street and reflected that the cat didn’t waste its energy on depression, nor for that matter elation. It just got on with its job of the moment, ie being a cat.

    I was reminded of the merits of Zen, an ancient Spiritual philosophy, still much studied and valued today. Zen decries excessive theorization in favor of direct experience. DT Suzuki’s “Zen and Japanese Culture” describes two key ways in which Zen influenced the Japanese Samurai warriors. Firstly, it “teaches us not to look back once a course has been decided on”, and secondly “it treats life anddeath indifferenly”.

    Doesn’t Zen, along with this paradoxically brutal but honorable warrior class, have much to teach us today?

    Find out more about Zen

    What is Zen?

    Books

    An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, D.T. Suzuki
    Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life, Thich Nhat Hanh
    The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat
    Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki
    Zen And the Art of Happiness, Chris Prentiss
    The Way of Zen, Alan W. Watts

    Not strictly about Zen, but undoubtedly a modern classic
    Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, Robert M. Pirsig

  • Serendipity

    Serendipity is the art of finding good fortune by accident. For example, you’re on your way to a planned destination but make a wrong turning. Along the unplanned route you discover an excellent restaurant that you will frequent again and again.

    Serendipity has played a major role in human invention, perhaps most notably in the discovery of penicillin. This powerful antibiotic was discovered when Alexander Fleming forgot to clean his culture dishes and noticed something which prevented bacteria from growing.

    But serendipity isn’t just luck, it’s a faculty that can be cultivated.

    Firstly, we need to allow room for the accidental by moving outside the habit of routine. Switch the auto-pilot off sometimes, take a different route to work, read a different newspaper, get your shopping in a different store, whatever…

    Secondly, we have to actually be open to the “chance” discovery. Just as Fleming didn’t simply wash his dirty culture dishes, so we need to be aware when something fortuitous raises its head.

    If we’re always cautious and never take risks, we won’t have many accidents, but equally we’re never likely to find the golden nugget that lies just off the beaten track.

  • Science and Precognition

    English newspaper the Daily Mail published a fascinating article on May 5th 2007. In “Is this REALLY proof that man can see into the future?” Dr Danny Penman outlines current scientific research that suggests this realy is the case.

    Professor Dick Bierman of Amsterdam University is quoted as saying: “We’re satisfied that people can sense the future before it happens”. Cambridge Nobel Laureate Brian Josephson is quoted as saying: “So far, the evidence seems compelling. What seems to be happening is that information is coming fom the future.”

    Penman cites evidence from the 9/11 disasters that all four of the crashed planes were unusually empty. Scientists Ed Cox and Jessica Utts have found that trains that crash carry “far fewer” people than they normally would. It’s suggested that rather than seeing vivid imagery o teh impending disaster those saved experienced a more general feeling of unease.

    Dean Radin has carried out research that showed people exhibiting physical reactions to extreme images a few seconds before the images were shown, as though they somehow knew the nature of the image about to be displayed.

    Not only does this show science is finally catching up with what mediums and sensitives have known for ages, but it also raises fascinating and paradoxical questions over whether the future already exists. If so thatwoudl mean that we do not really have free will. But of coure we all know (as far as we can know) that we do have free will.

    The explanation may lie in what I was once told by a clairvoyant. Although mediums can predict the future, such predictions are not cast in stone but relate to a snapshot of things as they stand now. The intervention of human free will can change what otherwise would have been.

  • What is Healing?

    Healing plays an important role in Spiritualism and the whole “New Age” movement in general. But what exactly is healing and why is it so important?

    The classic image of healing is that of the healer placing his hands on the subject/patient and somehow channelling forces from beyond in order to alleviate their physical ailments. And indeed in many cases such healing has been shown to have remarkable results, whether through some form of positive energy being transmitted to the patient or the promotion of a positive attitude. Most likely a bit of both.

    But relieving the bodily aches and pains of sufferers is only part of the story, though admittedly a significant one. As we look around the world we see hatred, violence and injustice a-plenty. It is in these areas too that healing is desparately needed to make the earthly experience of so many that little more pleasant and productive.

    Healing isn’t only the hands-on stuff, though long may that continue to bring comfort. It can take many forms, sending out thoughts (prayers), doing our little bit for others, serving as a model to others, or even simply offering a smile. All of these things are healing, and healing is something we should all be doing to whatever extent we are able.

  • If

    If you can keep your head when all about you
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
    But make allowance for their doubting too,
    If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
    Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

    If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
    If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
    If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;
    If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
    Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

    If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
    And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breath a word about your loss;
    If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,
    And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

    If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
    Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
    If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
    If all men count with you, but none too much,
    If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
    Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
    And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

    Rudyard Kipling